Welcome, I’m just really glad to see so
many of you here this morning. You are really the fulfilment of a bit of a
dream for me, because I have really dreamt about this sort of gathering. Where
women can come together in a safe place where we can bless each other and bless
the Lord and go out from this place renewed and strengthened. God has laid on
my heart the women of this church and our relationship as sisters.

During the last year we have met almost
every month and shared in prayer our innermost thoughts, feelings and worries. This
has allowed our relationship to develop and become as close as sisters. I
suppose in a way that is what I have envisioned for us that we really need to
make the most of the sisterhood. I think as we all look around ourselves we
will all agree that we are all quite different and I think that is exactly how
Jesus likes it. We have different backgrounds, different situations, some of us
are married, some of us are divorced, some of us are widows, some of us are
single, some of us have children, some of us don’t, some of us are working, and
some of us are retired. However, God has a plan and a purpose for each and
every one of us and we are all called into leadership of some sort. You may be
the spiritual leader of your family as your husband has not come to Christ yet.
As a single woman your role may be to intercess for the rest of your family and
the church family and as a mother the greatest gift you can give your child or
children is to love your husband and pray for your family. But in order to do
that you need to find your voice.

I Believe That God speaks today. God’s
word is what brings life to this world. However many women today feel caged and
inhibited and that is due to many reasons. Many of those reasons can be
contributed to low self esteem, low self worth and women struggling with “who
they are”. There is of course an enemy in the world who wants to stop God’s
word, particularly with women and keep us caged. The reason being is that the
enemy knows what we are capable of, for as God’s children we can claim his
authority and change people’s lives and bring life.

In Luke 8 it says, after Jesus
travelled from one time in a village to another, proclaiming the good news of
the Kingdom, the twelve were with him and also some women who had been cured of
evil spirits and diseases. You see these were all women who had been touched by
Jesus and healed. And so they were just grateful to Jesus, they were going to
follow him with their lives. Mary called Magdalene from whom seven demons had
come out, she had no stigma or hang ups from this, for she was now free and
wanted to follow Jesus who gave her that freedom. Joanna, the wife of Cuser,
the manager of Herod’s household, Susanna, she’s just on her own, one of those
women just following God’s call, following Jesus. There were many others. These
women were helping to support Jesus’ followers out of their own means. All of
these women Luke says were quite something.

You know they could have come from
Jersey they were sort of feisty women, they were supporting them out of their
own means. They were following Jesus. And as I look at you that is how I see
you. I just see you as the women who are wanting to follow Jesus because Jesus
has touched your lives and I think that we can bless each other in that way.

Now some of you will have seen the film
“Sister Act”. It’s a great film and I would like to play you a little clip from
the DVD. The run up to this clip is that Dolores the nightclub singer has
witnessed a murder and her gangster boyfriend has murdered someone and so he is
out to get her because she might shop him to the police. She is hiding from him
in a convent. So there she is with all the nuns who are a bit down at heel and
despite having a great heart for the community are losing popularity with them
because they can’t sing! Together they learn to praise God. There is an
interesting lesson in that, as we worship together, as we praise God together
we are going to find that the most unlikely people will be drawn to and into
that band behind Jesus just as it was in Luke 8 and like we are now. So Dolores
and the nuns get on like a house on fire in the end and then her boyfriend
catches up with her and at this point he
has put his two gangster buddies on to kill her. The nuns have discovered that
she has been kidnapped from the convent and they are determined to find her and
rescue her and she has been taken to down town Las Vegas where nuns don’t
usually in habit so it is quite funny. So let’s see how we can get on with it.

Clip...............

They see her with new eyes, a woman of
generosity, love and virtue. She is one of us because they could see her with
new eyes. I hope that is the way we are going to do it for each other. For we
have a voice that the world needs to hear. We are made in the image of God.
God’s voice is creative. He created the world by using His voice. The things we
say can create.

The things we say can destroy! If we
are made in the image of God – when we are redeemed by the Holy Spirit – we
speak life and we build up. The Spirit of God dwells in you – you have that
same supernatural voice.

Through Jesus God was reconciling
himself to us. Whenever we see division, Jews and Romans, men and women, Slaves
and freemen, God wanted in Jesus to bring us together what was separated.

In Joel 2 v28 -29 “And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will
see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit
in those days.

The prophecy is about us, men and women
as equals speaking the word of God. It’s about finding our voices for what God
intended. Each of us have a voice, we reflect the voice of God. Are you
prepared to look a fool in order to speak out God’s supernatural voice? For
this to happen we must be listening and discerning God’s spirit. Also we need
to know who we are. I’m going to show you one more clip, I love this, this time
from “The Two Towers”. Eowyn and Aragorn, the sort of love interest bit. But
this is as he meets her when she has been practicing her sword work. It’s the
conversation between them that I would like you to listen carefully to; this is
where we’re going ladies.

Clip..............

She’s the daughter of Kings. That’s the
identity that we need to rejoice in together. We have got to discover that
identity, the daughter of the King.

Show picture of Eowyn.....

Now I would like you to look at the
scripture verse you have been given today. 1 Peter 2 v 9. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to God.” Some of us at new Wine summer attended a seminar
by Anne Coles where she spoke about this verse being our spiritual passport,
that we are a chosen people. It is so easy sometimes for us to remember times
in our lives when we weren’t chosen. The bitter disappointment we feel when
others are chosen instead of us. Well God knows each of our names. He even has
his own special name for us. You are chosen by God. So what does it mean to be
royal? I believe it is something to do with what is inside. It’s not about the
clothes or what we wear.

You are a Royal Priesthood. Royal
identity is what we are inside. The King sends us to the whole world. You are a
princess – the daughter of The King. You are being called to use your voice for
you can give others words from God.

Holy Nation – sometimes we don’t feel
holy do we. We can feel tired, stressed, anxious, worried and sad. Actually
that is when the Holy Spirit is with us most. We are holy; set apart, the Holy
Spirit is always helping us to be kind and patient.

A people belonging to God. Loneliness
is epidemic to this generation. But we are knitted into the family of God. God
doesn’t have favourites accept for you. God’s always looking for more children.
Find your voice and speak a prophetic word to someone. God is calling us, when
we leave this place to go out with our voices, and to take the kingdom with him
and for him. It will look different for each of us; I won’t be doing the same
as the person standing next to me. We are called for different things,
different situations but we are called. And He calls our name, and that is you.
You are a daughter of a king, now find your voice.

Now I would like you to find a
partner...................

Index finger................You Are

Middle finger............. Chosen People (Chosen)

Ring Finger.................Royal
(King puts the ring of authority)

Little Finger.................Holy
Nation

Thumb....................... Makes
it alright as u belong to God

Remember we all lead different lives in
the world but we are called to be Holy.